Method of preparing pimiento peppers for canning



W. L. GRAEFE June 5, 1928.

METHOD OF PREPARING PIMIENTO PEPPERS FOR CANNING Filed July 20, 1926gnuento'o Patented June 5, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER LOUIS GRAEFE, OF GRIFFIN, GEORGIA.

METHOD OF PREPARING PIMIENIO PEPPERS FOB CANNING.

Application filed July 20,

M invention relates to methods of removing skins from pimiento peppersby roasting or singeing, and is in the nature of an improvement over themethod described in patent to Bostrom, No. 1,452,409, dated A ril 17,1923. In that patent, the method fo lowed is to first remove the core ofthe pepper, then place it upon a cone or form and cause it to travelthrough a furnace in which the skin is burnt off. When the cone in itstravels leaves the furnace, the pepper if, brushed off and drops into areceiving Very briefly stated, the object of the present inventiontis toavoid damage and resultant waste inhering in the prosecution of anymethod which involves pre-coring. I attain my object by leaving the corein and ,using it as a support for the pepper, attaching the natural coreitself to the support, which need thus only be a point or a plurality ofpoints on the carrying rod which travels through the furnace.

The pepper in its raw state is -somewhat brittle, and when cored in thisstate is apt to split, and the extracting of the core produces a veryragged edge anl cracked condition. In this state it is placed on conesto pass thru the roasters in the original process. A large percentage,weakened in the cored condition, split and drop off the cones whilepassing thru the roasters, and become waste. A considerable percentagebecome waste in taking these cored pods oil the cones, and passing themthru a cylindrical washer. In other words, the peppers, when coredbefore roasting, are weakened to a large extent in their walls, and arebroken up in the process, although first quality peppers, packed incans, should be packed as nearly as possible in their whole state; thatis, the whole of the usable part. Pieces are second grade and waste, andsell at a muchlower price.

My new process of roasting with the cores in, combines two operationsinto onethat is, the corin and final cleaning previous to the actual pacing into cans can all be done in one process, thuscentralizing thework of preparing. Let it be said that the pepper when roasted is veryflexible and pliable, and can be cored and cleaned without. danger oftearing or waste or inside roasting of the meat.

' A conservative estimate of the saving due to this method throughsaving of waste 1926. Serial No. 123,879.

and in improvement in yield of first quality pack (whole ods, peel, coreand seed removed) would be fully ten per cent, and im roved qualitytwenty-five per cent.

iflsing the core as a base on which to support the pepper on the spindlenot only keeps the meat of the pepper intact while undergoing thissevere process, but insures a first. quality, whole meated pod for firstquality pack, and the elimination of large quantities of pieces orsecond quality and waste resulting from the use of the old method. 4

Apparatus for practicing my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Fig. 1 is anend view of a roasting machine of the typeshown in the above.- mentioned Bostrom patent. Figure 2 is a centralvertical section of a pepper withthe natural core fastened upon thepoint or spindie which travels through the furnace.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, 1 designates the frame of themachine, 2 the furnace, 3 the endless band or chain carrier whichtravels through the machine from end to end'in opposite directions onopposite sides, and 4 the vertical spindles or rods for carrying theindividual eppers. The rod'4 on the left-hand side of t e machine isshown carrying a pepper 5, while the rod upon the right-hand side of themachine is represented as just having its pepper removed by a rotarybrush 6, which may also act in its rotation to partly or wholly removeburnt particles from the outside skin. The principal function of thisbrush," however, is to detach the peppers from the rods and cause themto drop into a receptacle such as the box 7 from which they are removedby hand for corin and cleaning.

Re erring to Fig. 2, the pepper 5 is shown in section with its naturalcore 5 left in place, so as to maintain closed the interstitial space 5containing seeds and moisture. The meat of the pepper is indicated at 5and the skin at 5. Vith the device shown in the Bostrom patent, the core5 and the contents of the interstitial space 5 are first removed, andthe outer shell of the pepper 5 is then placed upon a cone or carrierwhich takes the place of the natural core, and owing to irregularitiesand variations in shape and dimensions of unit peppers does not entirelyFill the cavity left by the removal of the core. As a result,

the flame and hot gases in the furnace chamher 2 penetrate around thecone into the interstitial space 5" and around the lower edges 5 of theshell in varying degrees, with the result that a certain percentage ofthe shells become cracked, broken, or burnt on the inside and crumble inhandling so as to become seconds or waste. Heretofore, it has not beensupposed that the peppers could be successfully supported and putthrough the roasting process without a more rigid mechanical supportthan that afforded by the natural core itself. Numerous expedients havebeen tried in this and kindred arts, notably in the preparation of fruitfor canning, for supporting the fruit while heating, steaming, and thelike. I have found, however, by experiment that these expedients are notsuitable for use with peppers, which are very susceptible to damage andconsequent deterioration, and which require particularly, in order toretain their integrity. in passing through the intense heat employed inmy process to burn off the outer skins, that theybe supportedvertically. with the lower part near the intake or slot through whichthe rods 4 travel and. a draft of air enters for combustion. It ispartly due to this upward draft that damage is caused to the edges andinside of the shell in the old process, as hereiube fore set forth.

To complete the steps in my process, after the pepper has been carriedthrough the furnace and detached from the carrier, it is taken by handand the core 5 is removed. This removal may be by means of a coringknife of any suitable type or an automatic In the latter case, washingand cleansingof the outer surface of the pepper is provided for in themachine, and in either case the cleansing and the coring are done in oneoperation.

I'am aware of the patent of Latchford, No. 746,531, granted December 3,1903, in which tomatoes are prepared for canning. The devices used insaid patent. however, and the method therein described, are not.suitable for my purpose, for the reason,

among others, that the core is removed as a preliminary to exposing thebody and skin to the action of the medium which softens the latter forremoval. The present process is an improvement over those of bothLatchford and Bostrom, and has resulted ina very considerable percentageof saving, as well as improvement in the quality of the product, ashereinbefore set forth. I do not claim broadly supporting a fruit orvegetable during treatment upon a single axis, nor broadly the method ofremoving the skin of pimiento peppers by burning and brushing. Theessential features of -my present invention are the support of theentire pepper in a fixed relationship to the furnace. and in a. verticalposition therein, while maintaining the natural closure of theinterstitial space during burning, and opening the same and removing thecore after the burning is completed, in one operation with the cleansingand finishing of the product.

\Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

The method of peeling and cleansing pimiento peppers which consists .infirst sup porting each pepper with its core and skin intact upon alocalized support and causing the same to travel continuously through anarea of intense heat and exposing the same in said area to flame and hotgases with a general upward draft from beneath, forming a heated arch,continuing the exposure to heat until the skin is burnt and loosened,removing the pepper from the heated area, removing the burnt andloosened skin and finally coring the pepper, whereby the edges andinside of the shell of the pepper are preserved undamaged during theburning portion of the process and the pepper is maintained with itsusable part in a whole state.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

WALTER LOUIS GRAEFE.

